LAS VEGAS––"Corazon de leon," or heart of a lion, is the battle cry of Jessie Vargas and his team, as the reigning welterweight champion showed off his form ahead of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) title defense on November 5 against Filipino boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao.
Already a two-division world champion at 27 years old, Vargas, a seven-year pro, won the WBO belt last March when he knocked out Sadam Ali in the ninth round of their title fight last March.
Facing Pacquiao will be the biggest fight of the Los Angeles-born fighter's career, but Vargas is unfazed.
"I'm 10 years younger than him," Vargas said. "This is my time. I'm going to hit him in the chin."
As a young fighter, Vargas was trained by Roger and Jeff Mayweather. Now, he works with former world kickboxing champion Dewey Cooper.
Cooper, a 2008 Martial Arts Hall of Famer, vows that Vargas will go toe to toe with Pacquiao.
"We will over-work, over-hit, overwhelm Manny," Cooper vowed. "We will hear, 'And still the welterweight champion of the world.' "
Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum said he expects the bout to end in a knockout.
"Jessie is on the way up. He is young and determined, and he won't back down," said Arum. "He will come forward, so it's going to be very exciting."
Vargas will carry a 27-1 win-loss record into his fight against Pacquiao. He has won 10 fights by knockout, his lone loss coming via unanimous decision against Timothy Bradley in June 2015.
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